Display shelf construction



Dec. 1, 1959 M. c. BROMBERG 2,915,193

DISPLAY SHELF CONSTRUCTION Filed July 5, 1957 INVENTOR.

MALCOLM C. BROMBERG BY ATTO R N EY United States Patent DISPLAY SHELFCONSTRUCTION Malcolm C. Bromberg, Providence, RI. Application July 5,1957, Serial No. 670,060

2 Claims. (Cl. 211'13'5) My present invention relates to store furnitureand fixtures, and more particularly to a novel shelf construction forholding quantities of small articles of merchandise for display andsale.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a shelfthatcan be readily formed from sheet metal and is easy and economical tomanufacture and assemble.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a metal shelfconstruction which can easily be subdivided into separate compartmentsor bins.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a shelfconstruction having an adjustable divider for adjusting the size of thecompartments.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a .sheet metalshelf construction that can readily be stamped in a single integralpiece if desired. With the above and other objects and advantageousfeatures in view, my invention consists of a novel arrangement of parts,more fully disclosed in the detailed description followinginconjunctionwith the accompanying drawings, and more particularly defined in theappended claims.

III! the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a shelf embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged transverse section thereof.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing an integral form of theinvention.

Fig. 4 is -a similar view showing another form of the invention.

In stores which stock automotive and other equipment parts and smallmerchandise such as bolts, clamps, and small tools, it is customary todisplay the merchandise in bins or on shelves divided into compartments.To provide for mobility one popular type of shelf construction providesfor spaced vertical supports fastened to the wall and having a pluralityof openings extending vertically the length of the support. A horizontalshelf support can be hung on the vertical support at each opening andadjustment can therefore be made by varying the vertical position of thehorizontal support. Such constructions are standard. It is then up tothe individual store owner to build or have built for him shelves to beplaced on the horizontal supports. Most frequently the shelves are builtof wood and designed for special purposes. The present invention isdesigned to provide a shelf construction made of sheet metal which canbe formed and assembled rapidly and economically and having adjustablecompartment walls for displaying different types of merchandise.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, the shelf a of the presentinvention comprises an elongated sheet metal rectangular bottom 10having short depending flanges 11 and 12 extending along the front andrear edges respectively. I now provide an elongated supporting member 13mounted on the bottom 10 at the front edge and extending along the fulllength of the shelf. The member 13 is bent into a general invertedU-shape and comprises an outer wall portion 14 which extends ver-2,915,193 Patented Dec. 1, 19 59 member 13 is then provided with a flathorizontal portion 16 extending atright angles integrally from theportion 14 and then bent sharply downwardly at 17 at a slight obtuseangle terminating in a horizontal flange 18 which may be spot welded at18a to the shelf 10. The member 13 is provided with a plurality ofspaced slots or cutout portions 19 which extend from the middle of thehorizontal portion 16 through the vertical wall portion 17.

The rear edge of the shelf portion 10 is provided with a member 20 whichextends along the full length of the shelf at the rear edge. The member20 comprises a vertical wall portion 21 which extends downwardly along10 are fixed, the members 13 and the rear flange 12 and is spot weldedthereto at 22. The vertical wall portion 21 is approximately twice theheight as the front member 13. It is bent over at the top to form aninverted U-bend 23 having a second vertical portion 24 in spacedparallel relation to the wall portion 21. The portion 24 extendsdownwardly to approximately halfway at a point even with the height ofthe front member 13. At this point it is bent horizontally at 25downwardly again at.26 and terminating in a short horizontal leg 27which is also spot welded at 27a to the shelf 10. The portions 25 and 26are provided with spaced slots 28 complementary to and opposite theslots 19 in the front wall portion. The shelf can then be finished offby attaching ends 29 and providing a strip 30 at the front edge forholding price or other types of labels. 7 The shelf is now ready to bedivided into suitable compartments; An elongated rectangular compartmentwall 32 maybe provided out of wood, metal, glass or plastic. Thecompartment wall 32 should be the'height of the rear wall 21." As can beseen in'Fig. 1, the compartment wall can be'po'sit'ioned' transverselyacross the shelfin the slots 19 and 28. The width of the compartment canbe varied by moving the wall 32 to any pair of slots. The rear wallmember 20 will hold clips or other indicating members 33 if desired. Theshelf is simple in construction and easy and economical to manufactureand assemble. By standardizing the front member 13 and rear member 21,these can be manufactured in long lengths. The flat shelf portions 10can be varied in width and length to fit particular installations. Oncethe dimensions of the portions 20 can easily be applied thereto tocomplete the shelf.

Where it is desired to provide a shelf of fixed width a completeintegral construction such as illustrated in Fig. 3 can be used. In thisform the single sheet of metal 34 is bent at the front edge downwardlyand sharply upwardly to form a depending flange or lip 35. The upwardlyextending portion is bent into an inverted U-shape 36 similar to themember 13 in Fig. 2. This is provided with spaced slots 37 as in thefirst form. At the rear edge the sheet metal material is also bentdownwardly and upwardly to form a flange 38 and is then bent to form aconstruction 39 similar to the member 20 in Fig.

2. Here again spaced slots 40 are provided complementary to the slots37. This form will therefore be used identically with the form shown inFigs. 1 and 2 except that a considerable saving in handling and assemblycan be expected by bending the shelf out of a single sheet of metal. Theform shown in Fig. 3 is also provided with ends similar to the ends 29shown in Fig. 1, and with compartment walls 32a similar ment walls 32 inFig. 2.

It occasionally will be necessary along a long wall to abut a pluralityof lengths of these shelves. In such cases the side edges at each endare equipped with integral tabs 41 so that they can be bolted together.

to the compart- A- slightly simpler integral construction is illustratedin Fig. 4. In this form the flat metal shelf 42 is bent upwardly atright angles at the front edge to form a front wall portion 43. This inturn is bent into an inverted U- shape at 44 and then outwardly at anangle at 45 to the shelf 42. At the rear edge the metal is merely bentinto an inverted V-shape having a rear wall 46 and a front wall 47. Theslanted wall 45 of the front portion is provided with slots 45a and theslanted front wall 47 at the rear portion is provided with complementaryslots 47a. This form is also desirable when a fixed width is being usedfor a great many shelves. Instead of connecting tabs, this form may beprovided at each end with a depending flange 48 having spaced elongatedslots 49 for adjustably connecting lengths of shelves.

The shelves of the present invention are pleasing in appearance andespecially adaptable for the display and sale of small items. Thestorekeeper can easily shift kinds and quantities of merchandise bymovement of the compartment wall members 32. The shelf can be turned outeasily and quickly and its installation requires. no effort. Otheradvantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to a personskilled in the art.

I claim:

1. A shelf construction comprising a sheet metal bottom having integralflanges extending downwardly along the front and rear edges, a frontsupporting member extending along the front edge of said bottom, saidfront supporting member comprising a wall portion extending verticallyfrom the flange at the front edge of said bottom and clamped around saidflange and then inwardly and downwardly to the bottom and attachedthereto to form an inner front wall portion, said inner front wallportion having a plurality of spaced vertical slots, and a rearsupporting member extending along the rear edge .of said bottom, saidrear supporting member comprising a wall portion attached to andextending vertically from :the flange at the rear edge of said bottomand then inwardly and downwardly to the bottom and attached thereto toform an inner rear wall portion, said inner rear wall portion having aplurality of spaced vertical slots complementary to the slots in saidinner front wall portion, whereby a compartment divider may bepositioned transversely of said shelf and supported in said slots.

2. A shelf construction comprising a sheet metal bottom having integralflanges extending downwardly along the front and rear edges, a frontsupporting member extending along the front edge of said bottom, saidfront supporting member comprising a wall portion extending verticallyfrom the flange at the front edge of said bottom and clamped around saidflange and then inwardly and downwardly to the bottom and attachedthereto to form an inner front wall portion, said inner front wallportion having a plurality of spaced vertical slots, and a rearsupporting member extending along the rear edge of said bottom, saidrear supporting member comprising a wall portion attached to andextending vertically from the flange at the rear edge of said bottom andthen inwardly and downwardly to the bottom and attached thereto to forman inner rear wall portion, said rear supporting member being higherthan said front supporting member but having an inner wall portion ofthe same height as said front supporting member, said inner rear wallportion having a plurality of spaced vertical slots complementary to theslots in said inner front wall portion, whereby a compartment dividermay be positioned transversely of said shelf and supported in saidslots.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,523,136 OConnor Jan. 13, 1925 1,750,866 Skowron Mar. 18, 19302,197,789 Dalton Apr. 23, 1940 2,261,840 Bergmann Nov. 4, 1941 2,393,536Home Jan. 22, 1946 2,483,769 Hickey Oct. 4, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS 510,146Canada Feb. 15, 1955

